The most recent presidential elections have proven the power of grass-roots fundraising. Although large donations from wealthy donors are still a major part of politics, the internet has enabled small donations from huge numbers of donors to be a politically powerful force.
In a similar manner, charitable organizations are consistently looking for additional sources of revenue, particularly in difficult economic times. Since the internet enables charitable organizations to reach huge numbers of people, it is a perfect mechanism for increasing fundraising efforts.
Finally, fundraising at a live event, whether it is at a political rally or a charitable event, is a perfect opportunity to maximize donations. Reaching out to an organization's base at such an event presents an unparallel opportunity in fundraising circles to strengthen an organization's ties with its donor base.
According to many current approaches to electronic fundraising (e-fundraising), a donor may register with an organization, (such as a charity or a political organization), to receive emails that provide information about the charitable cause or political candidate. The emails may include hyperlinks that direct the user to web pages on the organization's web site. At the web site, the donor may obtain additional information about the charitable cause or political candidate described in the emails and donate thereto.
If the donor originally received an email in a dedicated email application such as Microsoft Outlook, a different application (such as a web browser) must be used in order to view the web pages on the vendor's web site. Further, to donate to the organization's web site, donors are frequently required to enter payment information such as credit card, bank account, or other billing information. Due to this switch to a different application and the entry of credit card information, the process of donating becomes inconvenient and time-consuming. More often than not, donors get frustrated and ultimately abandon the donation effort.
Therefore, more streamlined and convenient approaches to e-fundraising would be advantageous.